Eugene m



(No Model.)

B. M. WINSLOW.

SHIFTING BAR FOR SLEIGHS.

No. 366,548. Patented July 12, 1887.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE,

EUGENE M. YVINSLO'W, OF MORIAH, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VINSLOlV COUPLING- COMPANY, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

SHIFTING BAR SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 366,548, dated July 12, 1887.

Application filed May 24, 1987.

T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE M. WINsiow, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Moriah, in the county of Essex and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shifting Bars for Sleighs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,referenee being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the forward end of a sleigh provided with my improved shifting bar. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same with the shifting bar removed. 3 is a perspective view, seen from below, of the shifting bar. Fig. a is a perspective detail View of one of the Couplings for the bar dc tached from the bar and from the sleigh, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the two parts of the coupling separated.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Myinvention has relation to shifting bars for sleighs; and it contemplates an adaptation of the thill-coupling for which Letters Patent No. 238,193 were granted to me on the 22d day of February, 1881, for the purpose of securing the shift-ing bar to the sleigh ina manner in which it may be attached or detached without applying or removing bolts or nuts; and to this end my improvement consists in the construction and combination of parts of such a coupling or fastening, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, the numerals 1 indicate the runners of the sleigh, and 2 indicate the braces extending from the beam of the sleigh to the front of the runner. These braces are provided with inwardly-projecting studs or arms 3, having their outer ends squared, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which one of the couplings is shown in horizontal section; and this squared and tapering end 1 of each of said arms or studs projects into a correspondingly-shaped bore, 5, in the inner end of the shackle 6 of the coupling, having the end riveted, as shown at 7, so as to secure the shackle to the arm permanently and Serial No. 239,207. (No model.)

to engage either the shifting bar or, when it is removed, the thills. Two parallel and edge wise-tapering leaves, 8 and 9, project from the sleeve 10, having the bore secured upon the 5 arm or stud, and these wings or leaves are of substantially the same construction as the leaves in the thill-coupling above referred to, the longer leaf, 8, having a laterally-projecting pintle, 11, while theshortcr leaf, 9, is providcd with an inwardly-projecting tongue, 12. A'slceve, 13, similar to the sleeve of the thill in the thill-coupling, fits upon the pintle ofthe shackle and is secured to the forward side of the shifting bar 1.4 or cross-bar by a lip, 15, having a nuttcd bolt, 16, passing through it and the shifting bar, said sleeve being provided with a rearward extension, 17, which has a lateral shoulder, 18, adapted to engage the shackle, in substantially the same manner as these parts fit into each other in the thillcoupling described in my Patent No. 238,193. The under side of the sleeve of the shackle is flat, as shown at 20, and the upper and 'rear sides, 2l and 22, are rounded, and a spring, I

23, or similar suitable fastening device is secured to the rear side of the shifting bar upon the belt which secures the sleeve upon the same, the said spring projecting downward and forward, and having its forwardly-bent end adapted to engage and bear against the flat side of the shackle-sleeve.

It will now be seen that when the shackles are secured to the arms or studs of the braces extending from. the sleigh to the runners the shifting bar may be secured to the said shackles by means of its sleeves, which may he slipped upon the pintles of the shackles and secured by the shouldered extensions, and after the shifting bar has been tilted down upon the 0 shackles, locking the shackles and the sleeves in posit-ion, the springs will engage the flat sides of. the sleeves and hold the shifting bar in position. In this manner the shifting bar or crossbar may be secured in a moment of 5 time without the use of any nuts or bolts, and it may likewise be removed in an instant without removing nuts or bolts, all the fastening being performed by the peculiar shapes of the parts of the coupling.

shackles may be secured to the front part of the sleigh in different ways besides the 1nan- It follows that the ner shown here and described, although I prefer this arrangement; but it is obvious that different constructions of sleighs may require different manners of attaching the shackles without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my improvement, I claim'and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. The combination of the shackles having the leaves 8 and 9, respectively provided with the pintles 1i and tongues 12, and secured to the sleigh, the shifting bar having the sleeves provided with the extensions 17 and shoulders 18, engaging the pintles and tongues aforesaid, and the springs projecting downward from the rear side of the bar and adapted to engage the inner ends of the shackles, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. The combination of shackles formed with sleeves having rounded bores squared at one end, a shifting bar having suitable sleeves and projections engaging pintles upon the shackles,

- and braces projecting between the sleigh-body and the ends of the runners, and provided with laterally-projecting studs or arms inserted in to the sleeves and riveted at the ends of the same, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. The combination of the braces extending between the body of the sleigh and the ends of the runners, and provided with the laterallyprojecting studs or arms having their outer ends squared and tapered, shackles composed of sleeves having their bores tapered and squared at one end,secured upon the studs, and having the ends of said studs riveted in the ends and provided with edgewise-t-apering leaves having respectively a pintle at the end of the longer leaf and a tongue in the short leaf, a shifting bar, sleeves fitting upon the pintles of the shackles and secured by bolts passing through lips upon the sleeves to the forward side of the shifting bar, and provided with rearward extensions having shoulders fitting in the shackles, and curved springs secured upon the shifting bar upon the bolts se- 1 curing the sleeves and adapted to engage the shackle-sleeves, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two; witnesses.

EUGENE M. WINSLOW.

Witnesses:

GEo. W. VVALLAGE, FRED \V. RING R. 

